


I Won't Leave, I Promise

by LittleWolfBird



Category: Rory McCann - Fandom
Genre: Alcohol, Bar, Coffee, Coffee Shop, Cold, Cutesy, F/M, Flowers, Gall Bladder, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Hospital, Iceland, Pain, RPF, Recovery, Reykjavik, Rory McCann - Freeform, Rory-Fic, Sisters, Vomit, Winter, fluff mostly, real person fiction - Freeform, semi-based on real events, Ösp Bollasdottir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25490353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleWolfBird/pseuds/LittleWolfBird
Summary: A chance encounter brings Rory and Ösp together but something more powerful keeps them around.
Relationships: Rory McCann/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 17





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Prairie_Garden_Girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prairie_Garden_Girl/gifts).



> A light fluff piece I've been working on for a few months. The medicine practiced in this fic is not based on any training whatsoever. It is based on my own experiences and my own grappling with agonizing pain. I should also note, that I am not from Iceland, or Reykjavik. I've been once and I absolutely fell in love with it. Enjoy my day dream.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ösp meets Rory. In a very painful way. 1816 Words.

The wind had finally died down, just enough to walk straight, as she left work. It was still snowing though. Not heavily, but enough to slow down and weed out the tourist foot traffic that the city relied so heavily upon. And that was fine with her. The snow meant less people that she had to try and walk around, just to get back to her apartment. The tourists only slowed her down and got in her way and she just didn’t have the time. Not right now.

She pulled her jacket tighter around herself. It was so cold, and she knew she should zip up the parka. But it was long enough, reaching her mid-calf, that she’d have to stop to zip it up. She only wanted to get back to her apartment; stopping was not an option.

 _God, I’m so warm_ , she thought, fanning herself despite the frigid temperature. She felt like she was burning up.

Once she got back home, she could curl up on the floor of the shower with the water on the hottest setting but leave a crack in the curtain for a cool draft of air to breathe in, and cry. Oh, how she wanted to curl up and cry. Crying helped with the pain. She just had to get home. Then she could cry.

She turned a corner – _just a couple more blocks_ , _I can make it…right?_ – and staggered into someone. It was like hitting a soft wall; soft enough not to cause injury but hard enough to knock her off kilter on her already shaky legs. She could sit down and curl up here on the sidewalk – _that was okay and normal, right?_

The person was kind enough to stabilize her as she teetered dangerously close to collapsing. She felt a blush to her cheeks rise before trying to push past them; trying to hide the pain like she’d always done. But her foot caught on something and she tripped, sending her hurtling forward. In her condition, she barely registered what was happening, accepting that there was nothing she could do to stop it. Yet somehow, she knew soon she would feel the ice against her face.

She managed to catch herself, just as another spasm surged through her abdomen. As she tried to breathe through the pain, she wondered what was happening to her. What was wrong with her body? It was so soon after the last spasm, the one that had forced her to leave work early…she had thought that she could for sure make it home before it hit her again. The spasms never usually happened so close to one another.

“Miss? Miss, are you okay?” The voice was distant, sounding vaguely caring.

The scent of fresh Belgian Waffles from the nearby pink and purple building attacked her nose as she leaned heavily onto the picket fence.

“Did I hurt you, when you bumped into me?” he asked.

A hand came to rest on her elbow, but the pain overwhelmed all other thoughts, all other senses.

She _loved_ this Shoppe. Ice cream on a warm, fresh waffle was her favorite desert, her guilty pleasure. _Why is the smell making me so sick?_ Her thoughts raced, trying to process anything and everything that might make sense of what was going on.

“Do you need me to call for help? You really don’t look so good. Can I help you to sit? There’s a bench, just up there.”

The questions barely registered as she stumbled a bit further – it could have been a few feet or a few hundred feet, she had no idea how far, before it became too much. The pain was crushing, stabbing, twisting, burning. When she slipped on a patch of ice, she didn’t bother to try and remain upright. She no longer had the strength to catch herself.

She fell to her knees, barely recognizing the scraping through her jeans; the stinging on her bare hands; the sharp pain in her wrist; the throb from her cheek colliding with the sidewalk. Her hands landed on a snowy ice patch. The cold seeping through her jeans, the burn from her cheek, hardly registered as the bile climbed her throat in slow motion.

She gagged and coughed and whimpered as a knife slid through her abdomen – _it had to be a knife, right?_ She was being stabbed. Nothing else could cause this much pain. She should look down and check her stomach for blood. Losing to much blood was dangerous. She had to stem the flow. Her sister had told her horror stories over late night glasses of whiskey about wounds and knives. But could stab wounds make her vomit? She didn’t know.

A pair of hands was suddenly pulling back her hair as she let out a soft cry while her body tried to force her to puke again. But there was hardly anything left in her stomach. She’d had a flapjack for breakfast and her usual cup of tea at work. That was all.

“I’ve called for help,” a deep voice told her, near her ear. “They’ll be here soon.”

All she could do was whimper as another wave of pain shot from front to back, nearly slicing her in two, causing her to arch her back. She fell to the side and landed hard on her shoulder. She writhed on the sidewalk, clutching her stomach, and vomited again, though this time it dribbled down her cheek. The acid burned her throat which only served to churn her stomach some more. She could _smell_ it too. It was so pungent in the clean, crisp, winter air.

“Easy there,” he said, that same voice as before, as he shifted next to her. He lifted her head so that she was laying as flat as possible on the steep hill and cradled her head. “My name is Rory. Can you tell me your name?”

His voice, his accent – a foreigner – she could focus on that. Hadn’t her sister said that too? That focusing on the pain only made it worse. _Focus on his voice, his voice, where is he from?_ She tried to catch her breath, straining to hear him again. His voice…

“What’s your name love?”

If it weren’t for the pain, she would have smiled.

“Ö—” but she couldn’t finish saying her name. She was gagging suddenly, unable to take a breath.

He, Rory, turned her on her side, patting her gently on the back until she gasped, taking deep, painful gulps of air.

“Your name is Ooo?” he repeated after her breathing had leveled out.

The vomit in her throat tasted salty now, like iron. She didn’t want to open her mouth again. Who knew what would come out if she did? She shook her head ever so slightly.

“I’m going to look in your bag for your wallet, for your ID,” Rory told her. His hands left her back and head and she felt alone.

 _Come back, I’m so cold,_ she begged him _._

There was a rustling and then he said, with his hand coming back to her cheek, “Ösp Bolladottir. Ösp, that’s a beautiful name. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Can you tell me what hurts Ösp?”

“Right…side…” she mumbled, rolling away from him to retch. He rubbed circles into her back as spittle trailed down her cheek. “…stomach…”

“Your right side and stomach,” he repeated, taking her hand.

Ösp thought she nodded but she had no special awareness anymore.

“Just hang in there, Ösp, help’s almost here and I’ll tell them what hurts.”

She moaned, wheezing for air, as another knife squeezed her guts. “Ro…ry…”

“Yeah?” he leaned over closer to her face to hear her better.

“I’m…scared…Please…” she tightened her grip on his hand despite how bad she was shaking.

“I won’t leave,” he promised, squeezing her hand in return and smoothing back the hair from her temple.

Vaguely she registered how sweaty she was. _If he’s cute,_ she prayed, somehow having just the one clear thought, _just let me die here._

The whining sound of a siren was ringing in her ears now. She wanted it to stop. It hurt, almost as bad as her stomach. It echoed around in her head, causing splitting lines to erupt behind her eyes. The ambulance pulled up in an overpowering display of lights, though the sounds had been quieted.

Ösp whimpered and slammed her eyes shut.

“Sir, what happened?” a voice demanded.

“She collapsed in pain,” Rory answered. “She’s complained of her right side and stomach. She has been vomiting, or trying to, since she fell.”

Someone pressed on Ösp’s stomach and she opened her eyes, screaming. _Oh God it hurt, it hurt so bad._ Vile climbed up her throat, never reaching her mouth. _Stop, just go away._ She slammed her eyes closed again. _Please don’t hurt me anymore._ She begged in her mind though the words failed to form on her lips.

“Could it be her appendix?”

“No, it’s too high up.”

There was a rustling against her belly. Then the cold air bit at her skin. Gentle fingers timidly brushed over her and she never wanted them to stop; they were so warm and she was so cold.

“Look, see how her stomach is bruising?”

“I’ve never seen something like this. What could it be?”

“Nothing good. Let’s get her to the hospital.” Her stomach wasn’t as cold anymore.

“Sir, what’s her name?”

“Ösp.” It was his voice, Rory’s.

 _Keep talking,_ she tried to ask him, _let me focus on you._

“Is she allergic to anything sir?”

“I don’t know. I only just met her.”

Then, there was a strange sense of floating. And it only served to nauseate her more. She lay limp, waiting for the instant she ceased to be. But she didn’t die. After a moment, the wind had disappeared and the air was almost warm, at least in comparison with what it was before.

“Okay, Ösp, we’re going to get you to the hospital now.” It was a different man. Not Rory. “I have to check your vitals, give you an IV. Lay still for me.”

“Rory,” she moaned as something banged, sounding like a door being slammed.

“You’re in good hands now, Ösp.” His voice was further away than it was before.

“You,” she sucked in a breath, tears escaping unbidden as another knife – _why hadn’t anyone mentioned the knives in her belly? –_ scored through her guts. “Promised.”

“They’ll take care of you.”

 _He’s leaving me_. The realization overwhelmed her. “Ror,” she gasped, “reeee.”

“Grab her purse, sir,” that other voice instructed. “She’s asking for you; don’t keep her waiting. Let’s get moving.”

“I guess I’m not leaving, Ösp. I’m here,” Rory whispered suddenly next to her head. He placed a hand on her temple and gave her fingers a squeeze.

She nodded before disappearing into the darkness.

_Finally._


	2. Along for the Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory goes to the hospital with Ösp. 1510 words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on _I Won't Leave, I Promise_ : We meet Ösp as she is staggering home from leaving work early, totally unaware of the world around her due to the pain that is radiating from her abdomen. She runs into a man named Rory and he calls for help when she falls and is sick all over the sidewalk. Rory promises Ösp not to leave her alone.
> 
>  **Author's Note** :  
> This may be one of the shortest chapters that I have ever posted! I hope you enjoy. P.S. I'll try and have a new picset next week! For some reason my air doesn't like photos right now and either turns them green or black...

Rory sat next to Ösp’s head, repetitively smoothing back her hair, as he watched the EMT work – expertly swaying with the motion of the ambulance while still doing their job. The oxygen mask went over her mouth and nose first, with the instruction for Rory to remove it if she made any sign of vomiting. Then the medic slid a needle into the back of her hand and hung the bag of liquid from a hook on the wall. He lifted Ösp’s shirt again, examining her stomach. Even Rory could tell that the discoloring was worse than it had been on the sidewalk. The medic jotted done some notes on a clipboard before rechecking her vitals again.

Reykjavik was not a large city, but the drive felt like it took forever.

At the hospital, Rory followed behind the doctor and nurses who were rushing the gurney out of the ambulance and into the emergency room. He still clutched her purse to his body between white knuckled hands. Someone pushed him to stand to the side of the room where they transferred Ösp to the hospital bed and the EMT’s disappeared with the gurney. Rory did as he was instructed, watching them peel off her coat. The coat was handed to him while the examination began. Her clothes were removed by scissors and placed in a plastic bag, along with her watch, rings, earrings, and other piercings. This too was passed to Rory. He looked down at her green blouse and cross necklace, almost confused as to why he had them.

Then, without warning, Ösp was being rushed from the room.

“Where are you taking her?” he asked, stepping forwards and speaking for the first time since Ösp had passed out. His voice felt scratchy.

A nurse, who he hadn’t noticed in the room, came over to him and placed a hand on his chest to prevent him from following. “You need to stay here, sir.”

“But where is she going?”

“Imaging. They need to figure out what’s wrong in her stomach and it looks like she broke her wrist.”

“Yeah,” Rory nodded, “she fell, really hard on the ice.”

“And you were the one with her?”

Rory nodded, watching as Ösp was pushed further down the hallway.

“May I get you a cup of coffee and ask you some questions?”

“I—”

Rory was interrupted by another woman in scrubs shouting. “Penny? Penny! Oh my God! Penny what’s wrong! What’s happened! Get your hands off of me! Yes, I know her, that is my baby sister! I’m going with her! Penny? Penny I’m here sweetie!” Then they all disappeared through double swinging doors and Rory could no longer see them or hear them.

“Sir?” the woman asked, drawing his attention once more.

“Yeah, a coffee would be nice,” Rory answered, hard pressed to pull his eyes away from those double doors. He was led to a private room, a conference room of sorts. She poured him a cup. He declined any sugar or cream.

 _How did Ösp like her coffee?_ The thought came unbidden and Rory shook his head to get rid of it.

“Can you tell me, sir, what happened to Ösp Gefn Bollasdottir?” she finally asked after making herself a cup too.

“Rory.”

“Sorry?”

“My name, it’s Rory.”

“Rory, it’s very nice to meet you considering the circumstances. I’m Bría. What can you tell me about Ösp?”

“Nothing really,” he said truthfully, shrugging. “I was walking down the street. She turned the corner, barreling right into me. She didn’t fall over right away. Stumbled on for a bit before yelping and collapsing on the ground. She was vomiting a lot. I called for an ambulance and stayed with her.”

“Were you going to meet her? Had she been feeling ill in the past couple of days?”

“I don’t know. I only just met her.”

“You what?” Bría looked up from her tablet with raised eyebrows.

“I was walking down the street and she ran into me before collapsing in pain. I’ve never met her before in my life.” Rory sighed. He had been up too late and drinking too much. The Black Death really was aptly named. All he had wanted was to find a nice late breakfast spot and eat till he had his fill before going to the bookstore to get the novel that was on hold for him. He had planned on spending the day reading. Ending up in the hospital – even if it was by proxy, with a complete stranger – had not exactly been on his list of things to do. So, like always, he told the truth, “I was just trying to help her.”

“And you stuck around even after the ambulance arrived?”

“She asked me to not leave her, so here I am,” Rory shrugged. He had never been one to break his promises. _Never._ He finished his coffee. The nurse stood to grab the pot from the hotplate. She immediately refilled it for him, but this time kept the pot on the table between them.

“You cannot tell us anything about her condition or health in the last few days or weeks?”

“No,” Rory scratched his beard.

“It really is important if you can tell us _anything,_ Rory. Her condition is very unusual and dangerous.”

“I only just met her.”

“Nothing?”

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know anything. I wish I could help; I really do.”

“That’s alright,” she said, patting him on the hand. “You called for help. That was enough.”

Rory sat back. It didn’t feel like enough. But why? Why did he have the urge to do more? Surely there was someone else who could stay with Ösp. Then it donned on him, “Can I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“Who was that woman? Just now, when they were taking Ösp away, who was shouting. She recognized her.”

“Oh, her name is Ævi Borg Bollasdottir, she is a doctor here. And evidently Ösp’s sister.”

“Can she go wherever Ösp is?”

“Of course.”

“Good, I’m glad she has family with her. She looked really scared, and really alone. That’s why I could not leave her when she asked.”

Bría smiled sadly but made no reply.

Rory nodded. He then abruptly asked, hardly considering his words before they were out, “Bría, may I stay? Here in the hospital? I mean, to give Ösp’s possessions to her sister whenever there is a chance?”

“Of course, Rory. Stay as long as you’d like. I can show you to the waiting room.”

Rory stood, careful to be sure he still had everything that had been handed to him. He followed her through a maze of hallways until they came to a quiet and not large waiting room. He chose a small sofa in the corner to sit on, away from the few other people sitting. Rory took off his coat, hanging it on the arm. Then he folded Ösp’s winter coat and placed it on the seat next to him, under the bag. Rory stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. He leaned his head back against the wall. Half-heartedly, he watched the television on the wall. Rory did not understand Icelandic other than a few basic words, but because of the visuals, he was able to follow along well enough.

And time slowly dragged on. He answered the call from his sister, omitting where he was currently because Sara was one who tended to overreact, and eagerly listened to his nieces as they talked about what they had learned in dance class that day. Then Sara was back and prattled on. She was enjoying the new project she had at work and had begun experimenting with fabrication to enhance the costumes she designed and made. And she wanted to know when Rory was coming home.

“I don’t know,” he replied earnestly. “I’m enjoying the isolation and open skies.”

“Well don’t stay away too long, we miss you.”

The phone was passed around once again as everyone said their goodbyes. Rory dropped his phone in his lap and tried to figure out what he had missed on the show. Now he was thoroughly lost.

A nurse passed by after a while and gave him a fresh mug of coffee. “Bría sent it for you.”

“Thank you,” Rory replied and held it between his hands, trying to soak up the heat. He wasn’t cold, but he still felt chilled.

At some point he started to get hungry, but he refused to leave his spot. What if something happened and the doctors couldn’t find him? Rory shook his head, scoffing at himself. He had no right to be considered or needed for Ösp’s care. They were perfect strangers. He probably didn’t have any right to still be waiting on news of her condition. But if his sister had ever described him as anything, it was stubborn as hell, loyal to a fault, and ungodly tender hearted.

Besides, he had promised Ösp that he wasn’t going anywhere. So then there was where he remained.


	3. A Moments Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ævi meets Rory. 1782 words. [LWB note: I am not a doctor nor do I have any medical training. I am kinda making this up as I go along here.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on _I Won't Leave, I Promise_ : Rory arrives at the hospital where Ösp is spirited away by the doctors and he's left alone in a waiting room with her belongings.

Ævi paused as she rounded the corner into the waiting room, brushing the loose fly-aways out of her face. It was easy to pick out the man named Rory; the man who had saved her sister’s life. The nurses had described him as tall, bearded, and burly. And he fit that description to a T. She might even venture as much to call him tall, dark, and handsome. He was bent over, elbows on his knees, watching some show while nursing a coffee. Ævi recognized Ösp’s things folded neatly on the bench beside him.

How strange for a stranger to wait around for news of someone’s condition.

“Rory?” she finally said, walking towards him.

His head snapped up and he stood just as fast.

Ævi couldn’t help but think of just how right the nurses were. He was exceptionally tall, towering over her by at least a foot, probably more…though her family did tend to fall on the _short_ side of things. She figured that _his_ family tended to fall on the tall side of things.

He licked his lips nervously and asked, “You’re Ævi, right?”

“Yes, Ösp is my younger sister,” she replied motioning for him to return to his seat. He only did so after she sat in the chair kitty-corner from him. “I hear that I have a lot to thank you for.”

“No ma’am,” Rory shook his head. “I hardly did a thing.”

“I happen to know that you’re wrong.”

“How is she?” he asked hesitantly, rubbing his hands on his jeans, as if his hands were sweaty.

Ævi realized then that Rory cared. A man she had never met before was sincerely worried about her baby sister. She smiled weakly, “She’s okay, all things considered. But she is alive, thanks to you.”

Rory furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. “I don’t understand.”

“Your quick thinking to call an ambulance probably saved my sister’s life.”

“I knew she was in rough shape. But I never thought she could have died. What’s happened to her?” Rory asked, genuine concern seeping into his voice, his face pale.

Ævi rubbed her face, sighing. “Her gall bladder exploded.”

“I—” Rory searched for the right words. He looked to the television for a few minutes before blurting, “I didn’t even know that could happen.”

“It’s quite rare,” she admitted. “And dangerous. Had Penny come to the hospital any later, her abdominal cavity would have been too compromised, and she would have lost too much blood to be revived.”

“Oh God,” he muttered, as his face drained of color. “Her stomach, when the EMT’s arrived, they pulled up her shirt – it was purple.”

Ævi nodded, “Internal bleeding.”

“Christ.” Rory stood and paced for a while; his stride long and even.

Ævi didn’t mind the silence between them or the rest it allowed her to take. She had been on her feet and at work for ten hours already before Ösp had been brought in. Another couple of hours on her feet during the tests had passed by slowly. Now, there was no way she’d go home now, not with her sister in the hospital. She couldn’t fathom sleeping but resting, that was okay. She leaned her head back against the wall.

“Why did you call her Penny?” Rory finally asked, turning to her and breaking the stillness.

Ævi looked up and tried to place his accent but couldn’t quite find it. His question was odd, random even. Despite herself, and knowing that she knew nothing about him or his intentions, Ævi smiled at the memory. “We spent some time in western Canada as children. Dad had a job out there for a bit. Her name, Ösp means Aspen in English. Somehow, for some reason, I thought it would be funny to call her Penny.” Ævi shrugged, still grinning at the memory, “The nickname has stuck all these years.”

“It’s a very pretty name, in any language,” he commented, “her name and your nickname for her. What does your name mean?”

“Ivy.”

“Your parents must like plants, huh?”

Ævi grinned, “yes, they do. Our brother’s name is Reynir. It means Rowan tree.”

“Wow,” Rory let out his breath in a huff and buckled back onto the sofa. He pulled off his beanie and rubbed his short, buzzed hair, asking tiredly, “So she’ll be okay? Ösp? She’s going to live?”

Ævi nodded. “Yes. She is in surgery right now.”

“Surgery!” his voice was a croak, deep and besotted with worry.

“Yes. They will clean out her abdomen essentially by lifting up her organs and sponge bathing them.” Talking about the mechanics, about exactly what was medically being done to save Penny’s life was comforting to Ævi. She relaxed just a little; her sister was in good hands. “At the same time, they’ll take out the what is left of her gall bladder. Then, they’ll asses to see if there is any more damage, to any other organs. They’ll be in there as long as necessary before sewing her up.”

“Why aren’t you in there with her?” Rory asked. It almost sounded like an accusation – one backed by a voice filled with fear.

“Family members aren’t allowed to treat family. Besides, I’m not a surgeon.”

“You were allowed to be with her for the tests, were you not?”

“I was,” she admitted, “but I was not the one doing the tests. I was just in the room. There is a big difference between imaging and surgery.”

“If you were just observing with the tests, couldn’t you just observe with the operation?”

“We bend the rules sometimes, for our coworkers when, like today, something happens to a loved one. I shouldn’t have been in the testing room either. That’s not a sterile zone. Being in the room for her operation is a whole other level of violation of codes. I’m forced to wait outside just like you.”

Rory made no reply, nor could he look in Ævi’s direction.

“Why do you care if I am in the theatre or not?” she pressed.

He shrugged but replied anyways, still unable to raise his gaze. “She was so scared. Asked me not to leave her alone. Begged me not to. And I know, logically, that she’s not alone in there and that she’s not even awake. But I still promised her.”

“A woman you don’t know.”

Rory looked at her at last, as if caught red handed with his hand in the cookie jar.

Ævi smiled, “Bria told me. You only just met her.”

Rory scoffed, a twinge of pink dusting his cheeks. “Yeah, a tiny beautiful blonde woman who bounced off me like a racquet ball before collapsing and vomiting blood.” He sighed heavily, “Her stomach was so discolored, and she was so pale and the blood on her lips…but her grip was firm. She held on to me tight. Begged me. I don’t, I didn’t feel as though I could leave her.”

“You can stay, you know,” Ævi commented after a minute or two of silence, after pondering what he had said. She was touched by his sentiment; intrigued by his concern. “Until she wakes up. I don’t mind. The company would be nice. That is, if you’d like to.”

“I would, very much so. Thank you.” Rory looked at her, smiling a crooked smile that made his cheeks dimple and his eyes twinkle.

They watched TV for a while in silence between them. Ævi lightly drifted in and out of consciousness. Every move in the room startled her awake. Though she’d been a doctor for a few years, she had never felt this drained, even when she was still in training.

“Ævi?”

“Hmm?” she responded, slowly opening her eyes and rolling her head on the wall to look at Rory.

“What happens after surgery?”

“Well,” Ævi cleared her throat and sat up from her slouched position, “when Penny is in recovery, before either of us can see her, they will plaster her wrist.”

“What happened to it?”

“She broke it somehow.”

“Oh yeah. From when she fell,” Rory informed her, “she landed pretty hard.”

“Yes, her hands are cut with ice burn and her knees are scraped as well. And her cheek has been taped shut,” Ævi admitted. She continued, “After recovery, whether or not she’s woken up yet, she’ll be moved to a private room until discharged.”

“How long will she be in hospital?”

“Depends on her condition after the operation. Days, at least I expect.”

“And then?”

“She’ll come live with me until she can manage things herself. She’ll hate it but we agreed a long time ago, I am always right when it comes to medical things, and she is always right when it comes to drinks.”

“Drinks? What does she do?”

Ævi pulled her phone out of her pocket and sat it on the end table between them after assuring herself that it was on loud, to get any notifications. “She’s a barista and a bartender. Absolutely loves it. In our lives, I handle the medicine and health side of things and she manages the coffee and cocktails.”

“Where does she work?” he asked.

“Trying to stalk my sister now?” Ævi asked in a serious but teasing tone, though she turned her attention to the television on the wall.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rory shrugged, “Just making conversation.”

“I’ve let you sit around this long, Rory,” Ævi informed him, “I’ll tell you about my sister. She works at the Whispering Wind.”

“No shit.”

“Hmm?” Ævi turned back to glance at Rory.

“I was on my way there for a late breakfast or rather, for lunch, when I got a bit side-tracked by your sister.”

Without warning, Ævi burst out laughing. “Oh God,” she cried gripping her stomach and covering her mouth. She laughed and laughed and laughed. Ævi knew that if she stopped laughing, she’d start crying. When she was finally able to catch her breath, she commented, “The universe really wanted you two to meet, huh?”

Rory sat back, thinking about it. “I guess so.”

Ævi wiped a tear that had leaked from her eye after laughing so hard. She gave Rory’s knee a gentle pat. “Good. The Lord knows my sister needs a little bit of romance in her life.”

“What?” Rory looked at her dumbfounded. As if he hadn’t considered the possibility.

_Psht._

But she never answered. Ævi’s pager dinged twice and she looked down from it. Standing she smiled at Rory. “Go get food or something, but don’t stray too far, Rory. Ösp is heading to recovery in a little bit. They’re sewing her up now. Soon we’ll be able to go see her.”


	4. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory receives a call in the early morning hours. 1622 Words.

It had been four days since Ösp had run into him; had changed his extended vacation; had quite possibly changed his life forever. It had been four days since he’d taken an ambulance ride to the hospital because a stranger asked him to and had spent the day in the waiting room with her sister; drinking okay coffee and watching some Icelandic tv show he only partially could follow. It had been four days since Rory had saved her life.

He’d gone to see Ösp in her private room at Ævi’s insistence that first night, after she had been moved from surgery recovery. Ösp was connected to different machines that beeped and whirred and had screens showing all sorts of read outs while a tube was forced down her throat. Ævi had said that it – the tube – was just for the night, but that didn’t make Rory feel any better. It looked uncomfortable and downright scary. They – the doctors – said that her prognosis was good and that she was stable, but he was still relieved when Ævi suggested he pull up a chair and keep her company for a while. He ended up falling asleep in the chair. When he woke in the middle of the night to piss, a blanket had been draped over his arms.

The second day, in the morning, he went to his hotel room and showered and changed. He brought back coffee and food for Ævi and a vase of flowers for Ösp. He spent much of that day either staring out the window over the bay at the mountains and watching the snow flurries dance on the wind or studying the blonde woman with an oval face and pink lips. If he remembered right, her eyes had been the blue shade, maybe more teal, like the clear ocean of the Caribbean. He was forced to admit that he wanted Ösp to wake up, even if it meant that it would be the last time he saw her eyes. He wanted to memorize them. That night Ævi insisted that he get a full night’s sleep in a bed. Rory had argued but finally relented when Ævi promised that she’d call him if anything changed, good or bad. He did as she said reluctantly and his slumber was deep; the kind that leaves one feeling tired in morning.

The third day he brought another vase of flowers and that book he had ordered (and finally picked up, grateful that the shop owner had held on to it for him), and, for lack of anything better to do, he read out loud to Ösp. Her sister drifted in and out of the room, in between seeing her own patients. She brought him dinner that night and they ate bedside while playing a card game that Ævi had drug up. He really didn’t know what he was doing, but Ævi promised he was getting better. She had even mumbled something about it being Ösp’s favorite card game. Rory was sure she had said it just loud enough for him to hear. Then, she sent him home again, insisting that he kept day watch, and she’d keep night watch. He acquiesced only when she once again promised to call, no matter the hour. Ævi stood on tip toes and kissed his jaw, aiming for his cheek, before he left, and whispered, “thank you for staying.” He tossed fitfully that night, unable to find a comfortable position.

In the early, early hours of the fourth day, Rory woke with a start, heart racing. It was dark out; the streetlamps were the only light in his room, casting a dim soft white-ish orange light across the foot of his bed. It took him a moment to realize that it was his ringtone that had woken him. Rory grabbed his phone and accepted the call.

“Hullo?” he said, before clearing his throat. His voice was gravely and raspy, even to his own ears; evidence that he’d been woken up.

“Rory, it’s Ævi,” was all he needed to hear to sit up straight, “I’m sorry to call so early.”

“Is she alright?” Rory stumbled out of bed and nearly fell, having gotten caught up in the sheet. He turned on the bathroom light, looking around for a clean pair of shorts, socks, and undershirt. He cursed himself silently; usually he wasn’t this messy.

“Yes,” Ævi’s voice wobbled and Rory froze, shorts halfway up his thighs. “Yes, Rory. She woke up just a few minutes ago.”

“She’s awake?”

“Yes!” Ævi exclaimed. Now Rory was sure she _was_ crying. But happy tears. “Her doctor is in with her now. I only just got the page and am finishing my notes then I’m going to go see here. I promised you that I’d call.”

“Thank you, thank you for calling,” he stuttered, trying to calm his heart, now thumping heavily in his chest.

“Do you want to come see her?” she asked, almost hesitantly.

“I just gotta get dressed,” he managed to say, hopping into his jeans. Then he froze mid-button, “that is, if it’s okay if I come? I don’t want to overstep or anything. You’ve put up with me for days. I can wait till later in the morning if you’d like, so that you can have some alone time with her.”

“Of course, it’s okay for you to come now!” she laughed happily. Ævi sniffled and the phone rustled as though brushed by her shirt as she wiped her nose. Rory sat on the bed, tying his boots, as she continued, “I mean, I’d like some company too. I feel like I’m bursting with energy. Penny only managed to say a few things before she fell asleep again. Her first word was ‘fuck’ – which is _very_ her. It was followed by a groan, an “I hate you, Ævi”, and a question.”

“What was her question?” he wondered as he pulled on his long sleeve and jacket.

“She said, “Rory?” before groaning again as her eyes wandered the room. Then she was whimpering something about, “he promised me”.”

Rory paused as he was about to slide his wallet into his pocket and pick up the flowers that he’d bought on the way back from the hospital. In the few days he’d gotten to know Ævi, he knew that she wasn’t one to lie or make up stories. But he had to check, “she asked for me?”

“Mhmm,” Ævi replied. “By the sound of it, though mind you she’s pretty doped up, she is pissed.”

“Does she _not_ want me there?” he wondered as he closed the hotel room door quietly and walked towards the elevator.

“Probably the opposite. Penny is annoyingly relentless about keeping her word. And it’s a pain in the ass, but she gets really mad when others don’t do what they said either. One time, I picked up her up fifteen minutes early for a party we were going to and she chewed me out. I was _early_! But it wasn’t when I said I’d be there. So whatever it was that you promised her, Rory, you had better mean on keeping it.”

“I’m on my way,” he replied, stepping out into the biting wind. “The front desk just called me a cab.”

“Good. See you soon.”

“Mmm, bye.” Rory slid his phone into his pocket to keep his hands warm.

It had taken the cab twenty minutes to get to the hospital, and now Rory stood outside the hospital room suddenly nervous, feeling like he shouldn’t be there. His hands were sweaty, and his throat felt dry. There was something fluttering in his stomach that made him feel mildly queasy.

When he looked through the window, he saw Ösp’s head turned to the side, towards the window and away from the door. Her lips were moving slowly. Ævi’s laughter drifted out of the cracked door. Something inside of him didn’t want to hear her laugh; he wanted to know what _Ösp’s_ laugh sounded like. Swallowing the lump in his throat and mustering his courage, Rory stepped forwards and knocked on the door softly.

“Come in!” Ævi called out.

Rory pushed the door open with his fingertips and stuck his head in first. “May I come in?”

Ösp’s head whipped around. Her eyes grew wide and Rory had been right: they were blue-green like the shallow ocean And he was lost in them. Then, his knees nearly went weak as she beamed when she started to recognize him.

“Rory?” her voice was croaky, and it spurred on a coughing fit. Ævi leaned over to hold a straw to her lips. She swallowed eagerly before pushing the cup away. Turning back to him, Ösp accused, “You left me.”

Ævi beckoned him further into the room as he said, “your sister made me get some sleep at my hotel room.”

“That’s stupid of her,” Ösp replied, following him with her eyes as he moved towards the bed. “She probably hasn’t left the hospital since I was admitted. Sleeping in chairs and empty on-call rooms.”

“She hasn’t,” he confirmed, “though I don’t know where she’s been sleeping. But I’ve came back every day. I prefer to keep my promises if I have anything to say about it.”

Ösp smiled again. “Good.”

Her eyes fell to the vase in his hands. “Oh! You brought me flowers?”

“He brought you _more_ flowers,” Ævi corrected, pointing to the table under the window. Two other vases with similar flower arrangements sat in the dark.

“Is blue your favorite color?” Ösp wondered.

Rory shrugged, “Not really. I was just trying to remember what color your eyes were. Now I know they don’t grow flowers as beautiful as the color your eyes.”


	5. Meeting Rory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ösp wakes up and meets the man who saved her. 1177 Words.

Ösp couldn’t help but smile. She also couldn’t take her eyes off the man named Rory. His voice was all she’d known before. In a distant memory, where everything was cold and everything hurt, his voice was the balm to keep her holding on. In another realm, his voice eased her panic, her anxiety. And now she could put a face to the name and it fit him so well.

He had a thick, full beard and mustache, brown and twinged in grey at spots, and warm brown eyes. She couldn’t tell how long his hair was, but it couldn’t have been very long because it was all hidden underneath of a beanie. And he was tall. He took up the entire doorway, nearly brushing the top of the frame with his head. When Ævi took the flowers from Rory’s hand and nudged him towards her chair, Ösp realized that her sister only came up to his chin.

As he sank into the cushion, Ævi put the flowers with the others, on the table by the window. And still, Ösp couldn’t look away. Her eyes had followed him and now she just stared.

“Do I have something on my face?” Rory asked, raising a had to scratch at his facial hair. “Or in my beard? I confess I didn’t look in a mirror before I left my hotel room. I rushed over here. Can nae be food – I haven’t eaten yet.”

Ösp could feel her cheeks heating up. She shook her head. “No, you don’t have anything on your face. I just…want to take all of you in.”

“Not sure how the view is from where you’re sitting,” Rory shrugged, “but do what you will.”

“I like the view,” she whispered.

“Well, that’s a relief!” he chortled. “Imagine how awkward this would be if I’d shown up in the wee hours of the morning, only to offend you with my face!”

Ösp started to laugh then. But it only lasted a moment before the tears welled in her eyes. She started coughing, grabbing at her stomach. It hurt. It was sharp. But…different than the pain was before.

Ævi was at her side quickly and pressed a button on a machine. She laid a hand on Ösp’s should and instructed, “Breathe. Deep breaths. Slow and controlled.”

Ösp did as she was told and in a second a cool sensation started in her hand and very quickly spread throughout her body. The pain eased away slowly.

“Laughing,” Ævi said to Rory as Ösp tried to relax, “is not going to feel very good for a while.”

“Fucking hurts,” she mumbled, now too embarrassed to open her eyes.

“I’ll try to keep my jokes to a minimum then,” Rory replied. “Wouldn’t want to cause any more pain.” The chair creaked as he leaned forwards and gave Ösp’s hand a squeeze. It surprised her – his hand was large and warm and dwarfed her own and she wasn’t expecting any contact, from anyone – and she startled. When he tried to pull away, she didn’t let him.

“Don’t let go,” she begged. “I like the view,” she managed to say between deep breaths. Slowly, Ösp opened her eyes again. Rory was closer now, leaning in with one elbow on the bed next to her knee. She slowly pulled her hand from his grasp and raised it to his face. She traced the outline of his nose, his brow, with a lazy finger. He blinked but didn’t pull away. “I never saw your face. Out on the sidewalk. I only heard your voice.”

“You gave me a scare out there,” he muttered, now unable to meet _her_ eyes.

“I’ll try not to do it again,” she whispered, her voice fading at the end of the sentence. It took a long intake of air for her to find the energy to ask, “Rory?”

“Yes, love?” he replied.

Ösp closed her eyes, smiling while feeling the numbness dash through her veins and swallow up her body. She liked that he called her ‘love’. Hadn’t he done it on the sidewalk too? She couldn’t remember. “Rory, I heard your voice in my dreams too. In the other world.”

“The other world?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, suddenly tired. “All I can remember is your voice. Where you there with me?”

“I don’t know,” he echoed softly. “But I have been chatting with your sister while you’ve been unconscious. She’s a nice woman.”

“How long…?”

“Four days, Penny,” Ævi’s voice came from the other side of the bed. “You had surgery four days ago. This was the first time you’ve woken up.”

“Coma?” she asked.

“No, sweetie.” Her sister’s gentle touch caressed the side of her face and pushed hair back behind her ear. “Not a coma; you were just sleeping. Your body needed time to recover I guess without your brain interfering.”

“I’m okay?”

“Much better than you were.”

“How’s my hair?”

Ævi choked back a laugh. “When Rory first met you, you were coughing up blook and puking up bile. I don’t think what your hair looks like matters.”

“Bit—”

“Your hair is nicely braided,” Rory interrupted her. “Ævi has done it twice a day. I like the color.”

“Could’ve told me that, Ævi,” she muttered, feeling Rory take her hand again.

“Was she in this other world too?” he wondered suddenly. “We’ve been getting to know each other – and she’s taught me a few basic phrases in Icelandic.”

“No,” she could feel consciousness slipping away and she wasn’t ready for it. “No, Ævi wasn’t there. But you were. You kept talking. You were telling me a story. I can’t remember what it was about. But it was a story…”

“Oh, yes, I was,” he said, sounding like realization was donning on him. Though she couldn’t see him anymore she imagined him with a smile. She liked his smile. The same smile he had when he walked in the door and saw that she was awake.

“What were you telling me about?”

“I was reading you a book I got.”

“Will you keep reading to me?” she requested.

“Penny, you need your rest,” Ævi’s voice came quickly with the same tone their mother used to use on them when she was trying to free an adult from the three siblings competiting for their attention.

“I _am_ resting, sis.” Somewhere, Ösp was aware that she was whining. But she was so tired and numb and, “I want to listen to his voice again in my dreams, knowing this time, this time when I wake up, I’ll be able to see his face again.”

“Penn—”

“I’ll stay as long as you’ll allow me to,” Rory insisted. “I don’t have anywhere else to be. It’s not a bother, truly Ævi. And, I’ll read for as long as you want me to Ösp. I don’t mind,” Rory insisted, though his hand left hers. There was a rustling of pages and seconds later, his hand was back to holding hers. Rory cleared his throat. “Chapter Fifteen, “9/12…””


	6. A Time to Heal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ösp begins her journey to get better. 1842 Words.

Ösp was in the hospital for another week and Rory made sure to be there whenever Ævi was working – and even when Ævi wasn’t working and was sitting in Ösp’s room, sometimes sleeping in the armchair in the corner, Rory was still there.

In the beginning Ösp slept a lot. Rory finished his book, reading aloud, the day after she had woken up. Gradually, she was weened of the heavier pain medications that put her to sleep. She was still lethargic and had troubles shifting herself but in good spirits. They chatted when she had the energy and played cards when she didn’t. Quickly though, boredom was also getting the better of her, and she started snapping at everyone.

“Penny!” Ævi gasped the first time she’d heard her sister growl at her nurse.

“What are you going to do about it?” Ösp asked, staring at her older sister with a dead look in her eye.

“I…I don’t know what’s gotten into her Gudmund,” Ævi hastily apologized to the nurse.

“Think nothing of it, dear,” Gudmund replied, unperturbed.

When the nurse had left the room, Ævi rounded on her sister. She launched into a lecture, completely in Icelandic, speaking so rapidly that Rory was unable to even pick out specific words. Ösp shouted back then snapped her mouth shut, grinding her teeth.

“Ævi,” he spoke up, hesitantly, “do you mind giving us a few minutes? Maybe grab a coffee?”

“Fine!” she exclaimed, in Icelandic but Rory understood the single word. In English, she pointed a slender finger at Ösp and declared, “We’re not through speaking about this.”

The door slammed shut after her.

Ösp wouldn’t catch his eye.

“What was that about?” he wondered softly.

Her head snapped around. “You too? Why don’t _you_ go get a coffee?”

Rory sighed. It was the first time Ösp had a short temper with him. But even mad she was gorgeous. Standing, he replied, “If you really want me to go for a bit, I will. But I was only asking more about what was said in the language I don’t understand.” He paused, patting her hand. “Have Ævi call me if you want me to visit again.”

His hand was on the door handle when she sighed loudly. “Rory please don’t.”

He turned around, saying nothing.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, again unable to look him in the eye. “I don’t like being stuck. And I hurt.”

Rory returned to his seat. She reached out, asking silently and he accepted. Holding her hand tight, he asked, “Should I call the nurse back? To ask for more painkillers?”

“No,” she sighed again, “It really just hurts when I move. Which makes me feel even more stuck. And I can’t do anything about it. And all I do is eat and sleep. I feel like I’m slowly going insane.”

“We don’t have to play cards,” he started but Ösp interrupted him.

“No! That’s not what I meant Rory!” her small hands flew to her face and she stifled a sniffle. “You, and Ævi are probably the only things keeping me sane. I like playing cards with you and you don’t suck too badly.

“I appreciate that,” Rory replied.

“It’s just so, so, so…tight!” she buffered, trying to find the word.

“Tight?”

“That feeling of panic in small spaces?”

“Claustrophobic?”

“Yes!” Ösp smiled, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “I feel claustrophobic.”

“I can understand that,” Rory said, passing her a tissue. “But I have good news for you.”

Ösp turned her blue eyes on him, waiting with bated breath.

Rory stood and moved his chair against the wall, effectively clearing the floor. When he turned around, he was grinning. “Do you notice anything different?”

“You just moved the chair,” her voice adding the _duh_.

“No, do you notice anything different about _you_?”

Ösp furled her eyebrows and bit her lip. Then she gasped, “My IV isn’t connected!”

“And?” he prompted her, though his cheeks were now pink. “It also has to do with a tube.”

“A tube?” she repeated. “My catheter?”

Rory nodded.

“They took it out?”

“They took you for an ultrasound while you were sleeping this morning and determined that it is no longer necessary.”

“I’m getting better!” Ösp beamed.

“And now you can go for a walk around the ward. And take a trip to the bathroom when you need to – though your doctor did say you needed your sister or a nurse to help you.”

“When can I get up?” she wondered.

“Whenever you want,” he replied.

“Now. Help me now,” she demanded.

He chuckled and helped push back the blankets from her legs. He helped twist her sideways in the bed, her muscles still being too sore to do the move on her own. Rory waited for her to nod before he placed his hands on her waist. Ösp grabbed his forearms, almost at his elbows, and nodded again. Slowly she stood, with Rory stabilizing her when she swayed after her knees almost gave out.

“Okay?” he asked.

Ösp nodded from where her forehead was pressed into his sternum.

“You sure?”

“Just blood rushing to my legs,” she murmured. “Can I have a minute?”

“Of course.”

“Rory?”

“Yeah?”

“You smell really good.”

Rory laughed at that.

“And I can feel your laugh in my head.”

He shook his head, squeezing his fingers just a bit on her waist. “You’re insane.”

“I told you!” she pulled her head away and looked up at him. “I told you I was going insane.”

“How are your legs feeling?” he asked, changing the subject.

“They still throb. But not as tingly anymore.”

“And how do you feel?”

Ösp paused at that. “Less claustrophobic.”

“Good.”

Ösp raised her head and looked up at Rory. He couldn’t help but think at how _petite_ she was. The top of her head reached his nipples he’d guess, _maybe_. If he stretched his hands only a little bit, he would be able to overlap his fingers around her waist. Her slender hands were unable to encircle his forearms.

As he studied her, subconsciously comparing her to every other woman he’s ever known, he realized that her blazingly blue eyes were taking him in, in the same way. Suddenly he felt a big self-conscious. He hadn’t trimmed his beard in well over a week. He was showering regularly bathe wasn’t getting his normal exercise. He felt…flabby. Gross. And yet, Ösp stared up at him, something dancing in her eyes that he couldn’t quite name.

“You’re _really_ fucking tall,” she blurted, her chinks reddening.

“And you’re _really_ fucking short.”

Ösp started to laugh but it turned into a cough and _that_ turned into whimpers. Her legs wobbled and Rory tightened his hold on her as she dropped her head back to his chest.

“Don’t,” she whispered while taking deep, measured breaths, “make me laugh. That hurts so much.”

“I’m not trying to be funny.”

“If you insist.”

“How about I insist on helping you take a turn around the room?”

“Make it a walk to the nurses station and back, and you have yourself a deal,” Ösp said as she started to shuffle her feet.

“That’s a lot for your first walk in a week,” Rory replied, watching her carefully as she watched her feet. When she had turned around and was facing the same way as him, Rory tucked her arm under his and didn’t remove his hand from hers until she understood that she was supposed to grip his arm.

“But the nurses have more pudding,” Ösp finally replied.

“I can go get that for you.”

“No,” she shook her head causing her pale blonde hair to swish back and forth down her shoulders, “I want as much time with you as possible. Besides, since I can _walk_ now, I might as well do it by myself….with your aid.”

“As you wish,” Rory smiled.

Ösp took her first tentative steps before gaining her confidence. They slowly walked to the door in silence and then paused, letting her rest by leaning a lot of her weight on him.

“Okay,” she nodded, “I’m ready for more.”

They started forwards but Rory had to ask, “What did you mean a moment ago, when you said that you want as much time with me as possible?”

“I meant exactly that,” she replied, her eyes darting between her feet and the floor ahead of them.

Rory looked down on her and frowned. “Do you think that I’ll be leaving soon?”

Ösp flexed her muscles as if she were shrugging but never lifted her shoulder. “I suspect you might be. I don’t know when you came to Reykjavik, and I don’t know when you are leaving. Surely you need to get back to Scotland at some point. I’m just going to savor our time together until you do have to go.”

“So…you don’t want me to go?”

Ösp flushed red. When she didn’t respond, Rory took that as agreement: she wanted him to stay in Reykjavik.

But their silence remained as they continued towards their pudding destination. He _knew_ that her abdomen was hurting her. Ösp was limping from leg to leg, favoring neither and her nails were digging into his arm as they walked. He ignored the sting easily enough. When they reached the nurses’ station, Rory asked for some pudding – Ösp was too pale to speak.

“Thank you,” he told the man seriously.

“A big appetite is a good appetite,” he replied, then eyed the sweat on Ösp’s forehead. “Would you like me to grab a push chair for you?”

Ösp blinked but shook her head slowly. “I can walk.”

“Are you sure?”

“I want to,” she insisted, starting to turn away.

Rory thanked the nurse again and led the way back to her room. Getting Ösp back in bed required Rory to all but lift her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath once laying again.

“Was that too much?” he wondered.

“No.”

“You’re pale and sweaty and I know that was very painful for you.”

“I just…I wanted to prove I can,” she exhaled as she sank back into her pillows.

“I think it was too much. Ævi is going to rip me a new one when she sees how exhausted you are.”

“She’ll just yell at me again,” Ösp mumbled.

“Would your pudding make you feel better?” he wondered.

Ösp cracked a crooked smile but said, “I need to rest before I eat it.”

The way her voice trailed off, Rory suspected she had fallen asleep again. It startled him when she said a few minutes later, “Rory?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you hold my hand?”

Rory grinned and leaned forwards, scooting his chair closer to the bed, to tangle their fingers. He brushed her bangs from her sweaty forehead before lowering the angle of the bed a bit. “Rest now, Ösp.”

“Rory?” she said again.

“Hmm?” he replied.

“I don’t want you to go.”

As Ösp slipped off to sleep for real, Rory kissed her knuckles and replied, “I’m not going anywhere.”


	7. Chapter 7: Rule Breaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ösp is finally discharged from the hospital. 3457 Words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on _I Won't Leave I Promise_ : Ösp is recovering from her surgery and finally takes her first steps, with Rory at her side.

Ösp was discharged in the afternoon of her eighth day in the hospital.

After a tense morning of getting dressed and signing the release papers, Rory supported Ösp, holding her hand on his arm, while Ævi opened the doors and called for the elevator. Ösp had flat out refused a wheelchair, saying, “Let me walk when I feel like walking. Which I feel like doing right now.”

“But you’re in pain!” Ævi cried back at her.

“It’s a good pain, a healing pain! If you don’t let me do this, I’ll take a cab back to my flat and I won’t stay with you.”

Ævi had acquiesced at that point; letting her little sister walk was an easy choice to make in lieu of being able to keep a close eye on her at home.

Outside, the wind had picked up. Rory stomped his feet, cursing while they waited for the valet parking attendant to pull around. “Fucking hell.”

Ösp smiled up at him, leaning her head on his bicep. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“If you like having the air taken from your lungs.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve been able to enjoy…” her voice trailed off. Softly she continued, “since I’ve been able to enjoy anything.”

Ævi opened the passenger door for her sister and walked around to the driver’s seat.

“Easy now,” Rory muttered as Ösp had to step up slightly into the SUV. She paused, half on the seat, one foot in the door. Rory stepped closer in case she fell. “Ösp?”

“Penny?” Ævi demanded, leaning over the center console and placing a gentle hand on her elbow.

“I twisted up a little funny, that’s all,” she breathed, turning her head away from Rory. Though not before he glimpsed how tears had pooled in her eyes.

“Relax,” he instructed, easily sliding her onto the seat and turning her to face forward. He reclined the seat to take the pressure off her abdomen. Then, Rory passed Ævi the seatbelt to lock into place. He couldn’t stop himself from swiping at a runaway tear on her nose. “Get some rest. I’ll see tomorrow?”

Ösp’s eyes flew open. “You’re not coming with us?”

“You need peace and quiet,” he shrugged. “You don’t need me around.”

“Right,” she snorted, pulling her hand from his arm angrily. “Because you are _so_ disruptive to my recovery. Good-bye Rory.”

Ösp turned her head away from him with her eyes shut tight and jaw clenched.

Ævi coughed and rolled her eyes. “Damn it,” she said, “Penny I left some stuff inside. I’ll be right back,” and climbed out of the car. She came around and closed the passenger door.

Rory followed her head motions and stood behind the vehicle with her. After a minute he asked, “What did you forget?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “We’re just going to give it a few minutes before opening the doors at the same time. And then you’re getting in the back and coming home with us.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh come on. You want to be there with her and she wants you there with her. Don’t let me stop you!”

“I didn’t want to presume an invitation—”

Ævie laughed. “Rory, you saved my sister’s life and you’ve so far made her happy. Maybe it’s a savior complex or the drugs. Personally, I am convinced she really likes you. Tell me now if I’m wrong and you are not interested in her too.”

Rory pursed his lips. He couldn’t say she was wrong, but neither was he comfortable with admitting it to Ösp’s _sister_ just yet. Especially when he hadn’t even told his own sister. But his silence seemed to be all the confirmation that Ævi needed.

“Good,” she grinned. “Let’s get going.”

They opened their doors simultaneously and then closed them together again. Ævi turned on the local radio station softly as she pulled onto the street. At a stoplight she said, “Magnús is still out of town. I could order us something to eat or whip up something quickly for dinner tonight. Do you have a preference?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Now you just sound like a child.”

“Well I feel like one!” Ösp shouted. “When can I get off these drugs?”

“One more week,” Ævi replied.

“That’s too long,” Ösp whispered so softly that both Rory and her sister leaned towards her to hear her words.

“What sort of timeline are you working off?”

With no reply, Ævi used looking over her shoulder to switch lanes as an excuse to give Rory a look that screamed, _I told you so._ But she said, “It was just a spat, a misunderstanding between you too.”

“He’s probably sick of me.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because he didn’t want to come home.”

“You didn’t exactly invite him.”

“I did!”

“No, I don’t think so, Penny.”

The rest of the short drive was in argument over whether Ösp had invited Rory to come home with them or not. Towards the end, Ösp was starting to drag her words, almost slurring them. A side effect of her medication when it took effect. She’d be asleep or all but soon enough.

When Ævie pulled into the short driveway of a modest home and turned off the engine, Rory was already getting out and opening Ösp’s door. She jumped, nearly shrieking until she recognized him. He helped Ævi unbuckle her and held out his ungloved hand.

“Can I help you inside?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Coming home with you.”

“But…I don’t…” her blink was long as she struggled to find the words and reopen her eyes. Ævi walked around the car and up to the front door, opening it. Ösp whispered, “Rory?”

“Aye, it’s me. I’m not sick of you yet.”

“You were in the car? The whole time?”

“Aye,” he grinned.

“Why didn’t you say so? I invited you! I thought you didn’t want to come.”

Rory chuckled, “maybe in your drug haze before you fully woke up this morning did you ask me. You were mumbling a lot. Nothing coherent though.”

“Oh.”

“You ready to go inside?” he asked after a moment. Her eyes were starting to droop.

“Yes,” she nodded. “It’s getting chilly out.”

“You’re crazy,” Rory laughed, helping her to the edge of her seat. “This is a few notches past chilly, wouldn’t you say?”

“Mmm,” was her reply.

When Ösp sat her feet on the ground, her foot slipped on a small patch of ice. Because she was so out of it and weak, her knees gave out. Rory instinctually tightened his hand on her waist, pulling her into his body. Ösp gasped, the pain causing the air to rush from her lungs.

“Are you okay?” he asked, holding her hip with his right hand while cradling her back in the other arm.

“Leave me here,” she slurred.

“Yeah,” Rory grunted. He scooped her knees up. “That’s not going to happen.”

Taking care so that he didn’t fall himself, Rory closed the door of the car with his boot. Watching where every foot fell, he climbed the steps between shrub-like trees to the waiting open front door. He stepped in and closed this door with his boot too. The sound of the door caused Ævi to pop her head out of an archway into the hallway.

“Oh God, Penny,” she breathed rushing towards them.

“Slipped on the ice,” Rory told her as Ævi checked Ösp’s pulse and pupil reactions. “Caught her. The drug’s hit her hard.”

“I’m glad we have a big strong man here, don’t we,” she asked her sister, whose eyes were partially opened. To Rory she said, “I’ve made up the guest room for her. Come, I’ll show you.”

“Don’t shut me away,” Ösp whined.

“You’re half asleep,” Ævi insisted.

“Don’t,” she nearly begged.

“Alright,” her sister conceded. Rory followed her to the living room and placed a knee on the couch as he laid her down. Ösp had closed her eyes and didn’t respond when Ævi pulled off her shoes. Rory sat her up as Ævi carefully pulled her jacket off her arms and shoulder. When he laid her back, Ævie pulled up her stomach to check her bandages. She wasn’t bleeding.

“That’s good,” Ævi muttered. She pulled the shirt down and tucked a throw blanket around her. She gave Rory’s own jacket a tug until he let her pull it from his shoulders. “Come, let’s get some dinner.”

“I don’t have to say. You don’t have to go through the trouble.”

“No trouble,” she insisted directing him to sit at the kitchen table. “I have to eat too. And when Ösp must take her medicine again, I’ll force her to eat. As for not having to stay, I think we’ve seen what Ösp thinks of that.”

Rory took the moment to examine the plate she had slid in front of him so that he didn’t have to reply. Before now, he’d never been one to blush or shy away from confrontation. Something about the woman asleep on the couch changed it. Heat rose to his cheeks and he didn’t want Ævie to see it.

Ævi sat next to him, allowing him to bow out of the comment, and they ate in silence.

“Rory?” she finally asked, setting down her fork. “What are your intentions with my sister?”

He couldn’t help but snort his water at the question. “That’s an archaic question.”

She waved that fact away. “I know you’re interested in her.”

“I fancy her, yes.”

“Penny…well Penny is convinced that you’ll be leaving for Scotland soon. The pain meds are throwing her emotions out of whack.”

“If she’s over me when the meds wear off, so be it,” he interrupted, twirling the fork between his fingers. “I will help her through her recovery. I will be here and then I will be gone if she wants it that way.”

“No. That’s not what I mean, Rory. Her feelings,” Ævi placed a hand on his forearm, “her feelings for you are real. She hasn’t been this struck with anyone in a long time. But she _is_ usually more levelheaded about it. She’s never been so…so forthright with her emotions. She’s usually a hard book to read. If you hadn’t met under the conditions that you did, she wouldn’t be so openly upset when you tried to send her home without you. She wouldn’t be asking me if I knew when you were returning to Scotland. Penny would weather her pain and hopes in silence.”

“But the meds have loosened that inhibition,” Rory concluded, turning in his seat to stare at the back of the couch, as though he could see the woman lying there.

“Exactly. Rory…if you two had met at the coffee shop like you would have if her gall bladder hadn’t exploded, you very well might be out of the country before I caught on that you were a thing. You probably wouldn’t even know she likes you.”

“Why tell me all of this?” he wondered. “I can’t tell if you’re asking me to sneak away before the meds wear off of if you’re trying to say that when they do, she’ll be a different person who I might not be interested in.”

“Neither,” Ævi said. It sounded like a promise.

“Then why?”

“I don’t know,” she said suddenly jumping up and collecting their dishes. He followed her into the kitchen. As she scrubbed the plates with soap and water, Rory grabbed a towel hanging from a hook on the wall. He took the plate from her hand when she rinsed it.

Drying it methodically, he asked, “I think you do know.”

Ævi paused, then turned off the water. Staring out of her window – Rory saw that it was snowing again – she replied, “I don’t know how to politely ask you to stay, in any language. How do I ask someone to upend their life for my sister, when they’ve only known her for a week? It’s not fair to you. But damn it!” she cried out suddenly. “Damn it if it isn’t fair to her too. She’s strong. She’d bounce back if you left. She’d be sad though. She’d hide it. But she’d be in pain. I…it’s my job to protect her if I can. But I don’t know how to do that here.”

Ævi turned slightly to stare at him.

He held her gaze, breathing deep, steady breaths. So many thoughts swirled around his head. Rory had to get some of them out in order to organize the rest. Slowly he started, “At some point soon I do need to go back.”

She nodded and looked down at her feet.

Rory continued hastily. “I need to go back because I need to check on my boat and my agent has somethings for me. My nephew’s birthday is coming up soon and at the same time I’ll have to visit my sister or I’ll be hearing about it for months, if not for years. And I have to see her in person because she’d never forgive me if I told her over the phone that I was looking to move to Iceland.”

Ævi’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. “You mean…?”

He shrugged, “At least long enough to find out if she still likes me off the meds.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

“I want to see what this is, where this is going.” Rory scratched at his stubble. “The only way I see doing that is by sticking around for a while.”

“How long before you have to go back?”

“At least by Lachlan’s birthday. End of the month.”

“Penny will be more independent by then,” Ævi said, nodding to herself. “She’ll be off the heavy drugs and perhaps even back at her own apartment. Can you do that?” she asked. “Can you wait at least until she’s not loopy anymore?”

“I think so.”

“Because if you left now, I don’t think she would understand why. She wouldn’t take it very well when you came back either.”

“Aye,” he agreed. “I can wait till then. The hotel will be happy for the extension, no doubt.”

“Absolutely not,” Ævi chimed as she set about making coffee. “We’ll find you a place to sleep. If I have to, while she’s here, I’ll make sure there isn’t anything _too_ embarrassing left out at her flat and you’ll stay there.”

“It’s really not a problem.”

Ævi turned and placed a hand squarely on his chest. Looking up at him intently she said, “Who knows, you may become my second brother. Wouldn’t want to start out with you thinking that the family lacks basic decency.”

Rory flushed deep red – he could feel it. At least he exhaled deeply, “if you say so.”

Ævi grinned.

“Ævi,” Ösp’s voice carried into the kitchen, almost half moan half whine.

“Coming Penny!” she called out.

Rory trailed behind her as she sat on the edge of the couch.

“Talk to me Penny.”

Ösp groaned. “It hurts.”

Even though she said it in Icelandic, Rory understood.

“What does?”

“Everything.”

He understood that too.

“Let me look sweetie,” Ævi replied pulling back the blanket and looking at her stomach again. It wasn’t bleeding but it was oozing. The elder sister gently pressed her fingertips around the incision. Ösp moaned the loudest the lower she moved. Ævi chuckled, “that’s a full bladder, Penny-dear. Let’s get you to the bathroom and you’ll feel much better.”

Rory picked Ösp up without thinking. Ævi grinned and he followed her smug face down the hallway to the bathroom. He set Ösp on the edge of the tub and didn’t step away until he was sure that Ævi had her balanced.

“The bedroom across the hall,” Ævi instructed, “make sure the bed is turned down for her.”

Rory nodded, bowing out of the bathroom and set about his task. After a minute or two, the bath turned on. He sat down on the edge of the bed to wait, surveying the room around him. Ten minutes later, Ævi opened the door.

“Come on Penny, just a few steps and you’ll be in bed.”

Rory stood as she walked Ösp slowly, shuffling out of the bathroom. The bathroom swallowed Ösp but there was a pink on her skin from the water. Her light blonde hair was darker when wet.

“Almost there,” Ævi encouraged. Two more steps and Ösp sat on the edge of the bed. “Rory is going to step out—”

“He’s still here?” Ösp asked, looking up from the rug. She found him and smiled. He smiled back.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Ævi promised, “but he does need to step out of the room for a minute so that you can get dressed.”

“Ösp,” he said, stepping forwards. He crouched down in front of her, looking up. He took her hands slowly, ready to pull back at any objection. There was none. “Can I stay for a while? I’d like to sit with you, if you’ll allow me.”

Her eyes teared up as she nodded, grinning.

“Okay, shoo, shoo,” Ævi teased. “I’ll call when you can come back in. Go grab her some dinner while you wait.”

Rory nodded and left the room. He caught himself almost humming as he made up a plate.

“All’s clear,” Ævi called to him a few minutes later. He went back to the bedroom and found Ösp in a green tank top and black sweats. Ævi was helping her lean back against a pile of pillows. Pulling the quilt almost up to her hips, Ævi kissed her sister’s forehead and said, “make your man hold the plate for you. Don’t rest it on your stomach. I’ll check on you in a bit. Okay? Shout if you need me.”

“Thank you,” Ösp said sincerely.

Ævi gave his shoulder a pat as she left the room.

“I like that color on you,” Rory said as he sat on the desk chair placed next to the bed.

“Thanks.” A light pink dusted her cheeks and chest as she blushed. “My sister is crazy. I’ll make too much of a mess if you hold the plate. You’re too far away.”

“We were given specific instructions though.”

“You don’t look like the kind of guy who follows the rules if he doesn’t want to,” she said, giving him big, albeit drugged up eyes. In them, he could practically hear her screaming, _I like looking at you_ and _I really fancy you_. Just like an open book.

Rory smiled, “you’re right, I’m not.” He stood and passed her the plate. “Hold this but don’t put it on your stomach. And don’t try to eat anything yet.”

“What?” she stammered as she accepted the plate. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to break the rules.” Rory walked around the bed, pulling off his jeans as he went. Underneath were his light gray long johns. As he reached the other side, he pulled off his infantry-sweater and his dark blue Henley, leaving only his grey long-sleeved thermal undershirt, the matching pair to his pants. Pausing as he lifted the quilt, he asked, “Is this okay?”

“Ævi would kill me _and_ you if we had sex in my condition so soon after an operation,” Ösp replied. Her eyes danced up and down his body, taking in his lack of layers.

Rory laughed and shook his head. “I only mean to just lay with you for now.”

“Oh.” Her face fell and she looked visibly dejected, visibly rejected.

Rory slid into the bed and eased the plate from her grip. He placed it on his lap. Raising her chin with a curled finger he said, “if you only knew how much I wish you were healed and we were not at your sisters house, Ösp Bollasdottir. But for now, my intentions will remain more innocent. This way we are on a level ground so you can eat – and not make a mess while doing so. If you need something, I’m even closer to help. And when you get tired, I’ll be right here to hold you if you’d like me to.”

“Do I have to eat first?” she asked.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead, his chest shaking with a chuckle. “Yes, Ösp, that your sister might insist on.”

Ösp devoured her dinner hungrily and drank two glasses of water. By then, her energy was waning again. Rory sat the plate on the night table. He raised his arm, shifting his body closer to the center of the bed. Ösp drooped onto his chest, her head fitting in the crux of his arm. Rory pulled the covers up over her elbow on his stomach and listened as her breathing evened out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ösp and Rory finally have their first date. 2247 words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on _I Won't Leave I Promise_ : Ösp is released from the hospital and Rory breaks the rules to take care of her.
> 
> **NOTE:** for this chapter, the point of view switches between Ösp and Ævi but the story is continuous.

The pattern, once Ösp had convinced Ævi and Rory that she was comfortable in the guest room and had everything she needed, there was much like it had been at the hospital. Either Rory was there with her or Ævi was. Day and night. Though she’d never tell her sister, she preferred Rory’s company. He didn’t fuss as much unnecessarily. Mostly, they just sat together and read or talked or played card games. When she slept, he held her.

It came as a surprise to her when after a few weeks of recovery, Rory asked her if she would be interested in going on a date with him when she was feeling up to leaving the house. From behind him in the kitchen, Ævi was frantically nodding her head, encouraging her to say yes. Ösp searched Rory’s face but he was serious.

 _Why?_ She had asked.

 _Because,_ he replied, _I like you and I like getting to know you. And now I’d like to treat you like the special person—_

“Penny! Your date is here, oh! And with pretty flowers too!” her sister called from the front door, startling Ösp from her thoughts. She heard Ævi say, “Come on in, Rory. She’s in the living room.”

Ösp struggled to stand, anxious to see him. When she did, she braced herself on the arm of the couch as the room spun around her and her vision went black for a moment.

“Penny? Are you okay?” her sister asked, suddenly at her side and taking her arm while feeling her head. “You’ve gone pale.”

“I’m fine. I just stood up too fast, Ævi. I’m fine.”

When Ösp opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Rory in the archway. It was the first time she’d seen him in almost two weeks; he had gone back to Scotland, but he had promised he’d return to take her on their official first date. While she sat in her sister’s house, alone, she couldn’t help but wonder if he really was coming back. Or if it was just convenient for him to using having to go home for his nephew’s birthday as an excuse to leave the country and never return. Never return to _her._

But there he was, standing in the archway.

Rory was smiling at her, but his eyebrows were pulled up; not in pity, like she had seen from friends who had come by to see her, but in concern. He wore dark jeans and a sea-foam green shirt under a suit jacket with a scarf wrapped once around his neck. On his head he had the same beanie that he’d worn the first time she’d seen him. It even looked like he had cleaned up his beard. He looked _good_. He looked _really_ good.

Ösp could feel herself turning pink and her cheeks heating up. She felt so silly in comparison, and especially with how weak she still was. He was tall strong and healthy. And she…wasn’t.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ævi asked, drawing Ösp’s attention back. When she didn’t answer right away her older sister said, “Penny?”

“Yeah, but…”

“Ösp,” her sister glared as her grip got just a little bit tighter. “What’s wrong?”

“I uh,” Ösp looked away from Rory’s brown eyes, suddenly unable to look at anyone’s face, and dropped hers to the floor. “It’s silly. Stupid really. I couldn’t get the buckle on my shoes done. My hands are shaking too much.”

She glanced up and saw Ævi rolling her eyes though there was relief on her face too. “I told you not to wear these shoes, Penny. You should have gone with the cute flats. Or those boots you love.”

“I didn’t want to feel _too_ short.” Ösp chanced a glance up at Rory’s movement through her lashes.

He was laying a bouquet on the table. Then he was kneeling in front of her. She could feel his warm hands on her ankle.

“I got this,” he murmured. Ösp blushed and tried to ignore her sister’s gloating smile. She watched as Rory moved to her other shoe, sliding her foot in and buckling that one too. Then he stood and picked up the flowers again.

“Those are cute shoes,” he commented.

“See!” Ösp stuck her tongue out at Ævi.

“Oh, perfect, you’ll break your ankle just to _almost_ reach his shoulders with the top of your head. When it happens, don’t call me to set it!” she teased, stepping away to watch as Rory appraised her little sister. Her little sister who had finally found a man worth settling down with. A man who thought the world of her sister. A man who had stuck around when her sister had very nearly died, even though he hadn’t known a thing about her other than her name.

Ösp watched Rory’s eyes as he focused on her face, her hair, first. Ævi had helped Ösp curl her long blonde hair into big rings – beach waves they called it – then gave her a deep part for a dramatic side-face swoop. A simple smoky cat-eye with a dark burgundy lipstick to match her platform wedge heels completed the elegant yet effortless look. It was the effortless par that Ævi had always secretly resented. Rory’s eyes drifted down, taking in her black long sleeve fitted cocktail dress. It landed mid-thigh and only emphasized her legs that, when combined with her shoes, made her short legs look miles long.

“I think I over dressed,” Ösp commented, as she indicated Rory’s outfit. “You should have told me to wear casual. I can go change if—"

“No, never, you look beautiful. I should have dressed up more for you, but I confess, I didn’t think about packing my fancy clothes. I was in too much of a rush to get back on a plane and see you.” Rory was smiling and Ösp was turning quite pink when he handed her the bouquet and she realized what the flowers were.

“It’s what you got me in the hospital,” she whispered, accepting the flowers, sticking her face in the blooms. White lilies, cream roses, and blue carnations wrapped in a pink ribbon. “Lilies are my favorite.”

“It was a guess the first time,” he replied, hooking her hair behind her ear. “And every time after that.”

“And this time?”

“Figured it might be romantic to get you the same thing, since you gushed about it for so long.”

“You’re setting the pretty high bar pretty high for yourself, you know,” Ösp said looking up instead of at his chest. “If you’re not careful, Rory, I’ll start expecting a romantic gesture on every date.”

Ævi was proud of her sister. She was growing in the wake of her near-death experience. When the heavy medications had been eased away, Ösp started to wall up herself again, to close off her emotions. But with Rory around every day, that didn’t last for long. Now she was open with her affections, even confident in them.

“Without having even begun the first one, you’d want to go on more dates with me?” he asked, the corner of his mouth turning up.

“You’d have to seriously fuck up this date for me to not wat more.”

“Good,” Rory smiled crookedly, “'cause I plan on wowing you this time around. And I plan on stepping up my game, every time after that.”

Ösp beamed and hardly noticed when Ævi pulled the bouquet from her hands.

“Ready to go?” Rory asked her.

“I think so,” Ösp said and turned to the coffee table.

She bent over to pick up her purse but stopped in that bent over position. Her hair hid her face from Rory, but Ösp knew that Ævi saw as she came back from the kitchen how she licked her lips, swallowed, and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Ösp?” Rory wondered, when she didn’t straighten up. He placed one hand on the small of her back, his hand half on the dress and half on her skin. He held the other one out silently, waiting for her to take it without any pressure. She took it and accepted his help as h straightened her up.

“Ævi’s right, you’re pale,” he said, pushing her hair out of her face. His brown eyes shown worry. For her. “We can reschedule if you’re not feeling well, Ösp. I don’t want to push you too hard too soon. We can stay in and watch a movie if you’d prefer.”

“I’m just, I shouldn’t bend like that. It still hurts,” Ösp said softly, embarrassed. “My muscles are still very sore. Being a little dizzy doesn’t help either.”

“Let’s reschedule—”

“Don’t you dare,” Ösp snapped suddenly looking up at him.

Ævi smirked in the corner of her eye.

“I don’t want to tire you out or hinder your recovery,” Rory tried to reason with her. “And if you’re dizzy—"

“Are we going dancing?”

“No.”

“Hiking?”

“Not in those shoes,” Rory nodded his head to her feet.

“Lots of walking then?”

“No.”

“Roller coasters?”

“No.”

“Ævi have I covered everything?” she asked, glancing over at her big sister.

Ævi nodded, “I think so.”

“Good.” Ösp turned back to her date. “Then as long as we take it easy, Rory, I should be fine.”

“I’d rather raincheck if—”

“Unless you’re suddenly changing your mind about me—”

“Never,” he insisted.

“Good, then I promise I’ll tell you if I don’t feel well.”

“Okay,” Rory smiled, picking up her purse for her. He handed it over.

“My coat is there,” Ösp said, pointing to the back of a kitchen chair. Rory left her side just long enough to retrieve it. He held it up for her as she slipped her arms in. “What _are_ we doing tonight? Ævi won’t tell me. And I know she had a hand in planning it with you. She’s been rubbing that in my face all week.”

Rory studied her face a moment before leaning in and pecking her cheek. “I’m making you dinner.”

“Oh,” Ösp bit her lip, as he pulled away, trying to hide her grin. “That sounds lovely. But where?”

“If was going to be a surprise…”

Ævi gloated as she watched them banter. If only she could record everything to play at their wedding. Because she knew that they were going to get married. Someday soon.

“It still is since I knew nothing about it until now,” Ösp insisted.

Rory leaned in and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering a moment. “I’m going to make you dinner at my very sparsely furnished flat.”

“Your flat?” Ösp repeated as she furrowed her eyebrows.

Ævi knew that her sister was still lagging due to the remaining medications she was on. If she were completely sober, exactly what Rory was telling her would have already been understood. As such, she just waited for Ösp to catch up.

“Ævi said that until you’re back to normal strength, you probably shouldn’t be trying to balance as you walk in the cabin on my boat. So until then, I’ve rented a flat.”

“Here?”

“Yes, here in Reykjavik.”

“Why?”

Rory chuckled. He slid both hands up around her face and looked down at her as though she were the only human alive. And perhaps, to him, she was. “Because I’ve decided to stay in Iceland. To be close to you. Maybe eventually with you.”

“What about Scotland?”

“Only a short flight away,” he replied dismissively. “But when your personal doctor here has cleared you, I’ll be taking you with me to Scotland.”

“What about filming?”

“Maybe this is fast, and I really don’t care if it is,” Rory grinned, “but I plan on taking you with me to location, as long as you want to go. I really don’t want to be away from you Ösp.”

“You got a flat?”

“I told you when you were dying,” Rory whispered, “I won’t leave, I promise.”

Ösp’s face danced as she tried to control her emotions. She was holding back tears, that much Ævi knew. Finally, her sister nodded and closed her eyes, leaning against Rory’s chest.

“Shall we then?” Rory wondered, pulling back. He held up his arm in offering. Ösp snaked her hand in the crook of his elbow and paused to kiss Ævi’s cheek good night.

“We shall.”

Ævi followed them to the front door. She knew that Ösp knew that she didn’t look especially stable on her feet, but Ævi also knew that Rory would take care of her. Ævi was just a worry wart.

Ösp had convinced her that she was ready for a night out by promising that she would call her if she needed anything at all. The final straw that broke the camel’s back was when Ösp reminded her that Rory would most likely call her before she could if he even remotely suspected that anything was wrong. Ævi could not argue with that.

Ösp and Rory waved to Ævi as they left the apartment and walked towards the elevator. One last glance over her shoulder to smile at her older sister, revealed Ævi leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed, still holding the bouquet, and smiling. She was happy for her, Ösp knew. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Ösp turned forwards and looked up at Rory. Yes, she was indeed happy that he had kept his original promise to her: he hadn’t left. But more importantly, he’d come back.


End file.
